A few years earlier
Narrator's POV
It had snowed heavily the night before, the snow had accumulated on the tree trunks and on the ground, leaving everything painted white. Zane was drinking his Nescau with chocolate near a fireplace in the living room near his cousin Zack.
The wood inside the fireplace made of red bricks crackled as Zane enjoyed his Nescau with chocolate and felt warm. There was a porcelain plate with cookies between him and his cousin. Zane reached his paw to the plate and picked up some cookies and put them in his mouth while watching the wood being consumed by the flames.
Zane noticed that Zack was looking at the glass window in the living room as if he wanted to go out and explore outside.
- What are you thinking of doing? - Zane asked as he brought the cup back to his mouth and took another sip of Nescau.
- Go out and play outside, in the snow - Zack said, getting up and walking towards the glass window of the house.
Zack used a stool to climb up and look outside the house.
Zane saw Zack with his back to him, balancing on the small stool and with his tail swinging as if he was excited to get out of there.
Zack put his snout against the window glass and breathed, turning it white. Zack saw Zane draw a picture of the two of them playing.
Zane was a little lower than Zack. Anyone looking from the outside of the house would see Zack from the waist up and only Zane's head looking outside the house.
"I'm going outside," Zack said, looking at his cousin.
"But it's really cold outside," Zane said as he watched his cousin get off the stool and head towards the door.
Zack turned the door handle and felt the cold wind blow against his face and ruffle his fur.
"Are you coming?" Zack asked his cousin. Zane nodded in agreement.
Zack came out of the house first and put his feet in the shin-deep snow, Zane followed behind with his hands in his pockets.
It was cold but Zack was still excited to be able to explore outside with his cousin.
The trees were almost completely white because they were covered in snow.
The snow had a cold and soft texture. Zack threw himself on the ground and began to move his arms and legs, making a little angel in the snow.
Zane began to do the same when he looked up and saw the tree house where the two of them were playing.
- The tree house - said Zane.
Zack looked at the tree house and his pupils dilated and his ears stood up.
- You're not thinking about going up there, are you? - Asked Zane, who knew his cousin very well.
The tree house had its stairs covered in snow, making it almost impossible to climb up there without slipping.
Zack looked at the tree house and it was there with its roofs covered in snow.
- Don't do that, you might fall and hurt yourself - said Zane, grabbing his cousin's coat.
- I can manage - said Zack, cleaning the snow-covered stairs with his gloved right hand.
Zack was cleaning step by step as he climbed the stairs and Zane looked at him with a slightly worried face.
- Come on, hold on - said Zack, extending his hand to his cousin and encouraging him to climb.
With a little fear, Zane began to climb the stairs, being careful not to slip because he was wearing a boot with a rubber sole that was a little slippery.
Zack took his cousin's hand when he was on the second-to-last step and pulled him up.
The two enjoyed the view of everything below covered in snow, the cold wind blew again, shaking the hair on their faces, Zack and Zane had their coats slightly covered in snow.
Zack shook himself a little and removed the snow from his coat, Zane watching him did the same.
Zack looked inside the tree house and the mattress they had brought was still there.
- See! - Zack said, grabbing his cousin's arm.
Zack lay down on the mattress and stared at the wooden roof of the tree house. There were some small cracks in the ceiling. Zane lay down next to his cousin when he heard the sound of a crow singing. The crow landed on the roof of the tree house and looked at the two of them through one of the cracks in the ceiling and then flew away.
- I'm cold - Zane said, shivering a little and putting his hands in his pockets.
- Are you warm now? - Zack asked, hugging his cousin.
- That's better - Zane said, feeling the heat of his cousin's body.
Zane breathed and the hot steam coming out of his nose formed white smoke. Maybe it was time to go home.
Zack had his head resting on his cousin's chest and Zane could feel his cousin's heartbeat and also the heat of his body, Zane was enjoying being next to his cousin who he considered a brother and Zack the same.
Zack walked down the stairs slowly as it was starting to snow again and the snow was piling up on the steps. Zane fell three steps above the ground when he slipped on the stairs and would have hurt himself if it weren't for the soft snow cushioning his fall.
"I'm fine," Zane said, seeing his cousin look at him with a look of concern.
Zack held out his paw to him and he reached out and grabbed his cousin's paw and the two ran back to the warmth and safety of the house as the snow began to get thicker.
"Zane," Zack said as the two drank hot chocolate and watched the snow fall through the window.
"Hi," Zane said.
"Friends forever?" Zack asked and Zane saw him hold out his paw.
"Yes," Zane said, holding out his hand back.
Zack could feel the warmth of that handshake as he saw his cousin with a happy look on his face, his pupils dilated and a sweet smile on his face.
- Are you shivering from the cold? - Zack asked as they were both wrapped in a sheet with blue and white checks.
- Yes - Zane said.
- Are you warmer now? - Zack asked hugging him when they were both in the room at bedtime and Zane and Zack were wearing their pajamas.
- That's fine - Zane said as he felt the warmth of his cousin's body.
The room was a little dark being lit by a pumpkin head lamp and at that time everyone was asleep.
Zane could see through the glass window the white snowflakes falling from the sky outside.
Those were distant memories for Zack and now he was back in the present and felt a little lonely, his father was playing with his little sister and Zack approached hugging his father and biting his ears.
- I love you dad - Zack said.
- Go get a girlfriend Zack, you're not a puppy anymore - his father said.
- Grandma, grandpa - said Zack looking at his grandparents and wagging his tail and his grandparents who were watching TV ignored him.
- Mom! - said Zack wagging his tail like a puppy asking for a belly rub.
Zack's mother rolled her eyes and ignored him and Zack kept his ears down like a puppy disappointed that no one wanted to play with him.
YOU ARE READING
The Deal
Teen Fictiona nonsense story involving fembois, nerds, bullies with Trevor, Lars, Zack, Derick and Barry as main characters and which takes place in the United States in the year 2023